Gravity
by teeney8040
Summary: High school AU! Beca finds herself drawn to the mysterious new girl, Chloe, but the closer she gets, the more the mystery unravels and Beca finds that nothing is what it seems. Eventual Beca/Chloe, Jesse/Aubrey
1. Chapter 1

A.N. So, I've had this original story idea for a while now, and I even tried it out with another ship from another universe, but it didn't quite translate the way I wanted it to. For some reason, it's worked sort of ridiculously easy with this particular universe and pairing. So, we'll give it a shot and see how this goes.

As always, thanks for reading!

**XX**

Beca isn't much of a reader. She definitely prefers to spend her time in front of the Mac with her headphones making mixes that she knows someday will get her noticed by the right people. But she read The Hunger Games (Katniss was badass, okay?) and (even though she would never admit it) some of Twilight and a few other books along the way, and she always finds herself wondering how it's possible to love someone so much that you'd be willing to be swept away in some crazy, life-threatening adventure.

It isn't like she's completely devoid of love. She loves her parents, and her dog, Spot. She loves her best friends Jesse and Amy, but as horrible as it sounds, she doesn't really love any of them enough to go into an arena to fight to the death, or risk being eaten by a psycho vampire.

"It's cause you've never been _in_ love," Jesse says distractedly. He flips his gaze to a table across the quad for a moment before he concentrates on the sketchbook on the table.

Beca rolls her eyes, because they've had this discussion before, and it always ends with her feeling like crap because she's apparently incapable of being loved or being in love.

"Well if being _in_ love gets me a sword through the chest, I'll pass," Beca tells him. She peers over the table at the drawing he's working on and she sighs. "Really, Jess? Her again? She doesn't even know your name."

Jesse shoots her an annoyed glance and changes the subject. "So what did you pick for auditions?"

"Ugh." Beca feels a spike in her blood pressure just at the mere mention of the auditions she's holding that afternoon. She's the youngest Bellas captain in school history – the job has never gone to a Junior before – and she had her championship team all lined up, only to lose a girl already because her parents moved her out of state. So she has to hold a second round of auditions. "I don't want to think about it."

Jesse smirks. "I told you just to do it with nine."

"The choreography is for ten," Beca reminds him with a sigh. "No more, no less. We worked on it for months. I'm not changing it now."

"Okay, okay," he says, trying not to smile, because he knows she's serious and she's stressed, so he needs to let it go. "What did you pick?"

"I'm thinking Titanium," Beca tells him, grateful he's letting the rest of it drop. "Or maybe Since You've Been Gone. You have to belt to hit those notes. I want to see what they're made of."

Jesse decides he's done drawing and flips his book open to a new page. He draws two horizontal lines and intersects them with two vertical lines, forming a tic-tac-toe board. He draws an x in the middle square.

"You always go first," Beca grumbles.

He smirks and glances towards the same table across the quad he'd been stealing glances at earlier. "And she would know my name. Ya know, if I told her what it was."

"Yeah, but then you'd have to talk to her," Beca points out, drawing an o on the paper before her.

"Pass," he mumbles, plucking the pencil from her grip.

"Why not?" she asks as she watches him contemplate…something. Clearly not his next move as he snaps the notebook closed. "You're cute. Not to me, since I've known you since diapers. But to her you might be."

He looks unamused and it makes her smirk a little. "Nice, Bec, was that supposed to be supportive?"

"Nope." Her smirk shifts to a grin, her tongue poking out between her teeth. She rolls her eyes when he remains stoic and she grows serious. "Ask her out. Best case she says yes. Worst case she laughs in your face."

"Again, thanks," he sighs.

"At least then she'll know your name," Beca points out as a bit of a last resort. "Plus she's new, so she doesn't know too many people yet."

He glances that way again. "Speaking of new girls."

Something in his tone makes Beca look, and when she does, the clear blue gaze holding hers from across the quad startles her a bit. She finds it strange that even though she's been caught staring, Chloe doesn't look away from her. In fact, she offers a hesitant smile that Beca nearly finds herself returning before she shakes her head and turns her attention back to Jesse.

"Something weird about them," Beca mumbles.

"Oh really?" Jesse says, looking amused. "What's so weird about them?"

"I don't know, Jess, you've heard the stories," Beca sighs. "Plus they never talk to, like, _anyone_."

"Anyone ever?" Jesse asks playfully. "They're mute?"

Beca rolls her eyes. "I'm just saying, something is…different about them."

"You do realize that everything you're saying has been said before about _you_, right?"

"So?"

Jesse grins. "And look how awesome you are."

"Becaw!"

She rolls her eyes. "Have I ever told you that I hate you sometimes for telling those idiots that nickname?" Standing up, she sighs. "Later."

Suddenly several of Jesse's friends crowd the table.

"Hey, Beca," Benji greets with a nod. "Jess."

"Later, boys," she replies, but a heavy arm drops around her shoulders before she can get too far away.

Donald laughs when she struggles under the weight of his arm and he releases her. "Beca, when are you gonna give in and just go out with me?"

She turns back to them smirking. "Okay, first of all? Ew. And second, you know I like girl parts better than boy parts."

"Ouch," Unicycle laughs. He likes it when Donald gets shot down.

Either Donald doesn't understand the words coming out of her mouth, or he simply doesn't care. She's going to believe both. "Say the word and I can add a third party that will definitely have girl parts."

"You are so delusional," she replies with a roll of her eyes. Though she had to admit she was a little curious. There were some serious hotties that found Jesse and his friends pretty awesome.

"Come on," he insists. "I'll even let you be on top."

"You wish!" she tells him, laughing by this point.

Benji peers across the quad for a moment. "So, Jess, you ask the new girl out yet?"

"Who, Chloe?" Donald asks, suddenly uninterested in Beca.

Benji shakes his head. "Nope. He likes her cousin, Aubrey."

"Older woman," Donald nods, clearly approving. "Nice, bro."

"Older woman?" Beca repeats with a laugh. "One whole year. Way to go, Jess."

"Shut up," he replies with a mock glare.

"Still older," Donald grumbles.

"Will you guys all shut up?" Jesse tells them, shooting me a pleading look.

"Sorry, buddy," Beca tells him. "I'm with them. Ask her out."

"You know they're from Roswell, right?" Jesse asks. "Wonder if they've seen any UFO's."

"Think they've been probed?" Donald asks with a wicked grin.

"I'd probe Chloe, that's for sure," Unicycle tells him, laughing as they high five.

The thought of Unicycle probing Chloe makes her stomach turn so she decides to leave before she can contemplate it further. "You guys are charming," she tells them. "Later."

"Band practice?" Donald asks as she walks away.

Beca turns and yells back at them. "_Boy_ band practice!"

The four boys have the decency to look a little embarrassed and she laughs as she heads for a table across the quad that holds the members of her girl group, the Bellas.

"Hey, skinny bitch," Amy greets her as she takes a seat at the table.

"Are the boys being boys?" Stacie asks with a knowing smirk.

"They're being gross," Beca admits as she slumps into Amy's side. "Unicycle wants to probe the new girl."

"Unicycle would probe a cow," Amy tells them, causing everyone at the table to laugh.

"I don't get why you sit with them anyways," Stacie mumbles.

"I don't sit with them," Beca tells them with a sigh. "I sit with Jesse and they sit with him too."

"Don't look now, B, but the new girl is staring at you," Stacie points out quietly.

Beca doesn't look. There's something unnerving about having the most beautiful girl she's ever seen staring at her. Like her chances of doing something stupid increase exponentially with those eyes watching her.

So she remains uncharacteristically still.

"I think she likes you," Cynthia Rose adds with a grin.

"I think they're kinda weird," Stacie whispers, like she's afraid the new girls might catch her talking about them.

"But super hot," Cynthia Rose chimes in.

"Seriously, they're way too perfect," Denise adds with what looks like a bit of a jealous frown.

Amy nods. "Not one little blemish on that ginger skin."

"Jessica swears that one day in gym Aubrey tripped and fell and when she tried to help her up her eyes were all screwed up, like they were all cloudy and changing colors," Stacie tells them.

"Her eyes were changing colors?" Beca asks skeptically. "Maybe she was high." She stands up, trying to ignore the weight of the stare. "Come on, we have rehearsal."

**XX**

"I need a favor."

Beca sighs because she knows this won't end well. She and Jesse have been friends since they were born, which means that she knows that he has pretty terrible instincts and always manages to get her involved in whatever it is he's doing by asking her for a favor. He'd decided when they were twelve that they needed to sneak some alcohol and asked her to swipe some of her dad's as a favor. They'd gotten sick as hell and in major trouble. When they were fifteen he thought they should take a shot at dating and asked her out as a favor because he didn't want to be the only one of his friends at the dance without a date. One kiss had been full of so much awkward that they weren't able to look at each other for weeks. So when he said he needed a favor, she wasn't too excited to hear the terms.

He catches the look in her eye and throws up his hands before she can say a word. "I know what you're thinking. Last time I said that we nearly got arrested."

She sighs. "Why don't you just tell me what you want and I'll tell you it's a stupid plan and we can both go about our day?"

"I asked her out," Jesse blurts out before he can stop himself.

Beca smirks and takes in what she calls his 'happy puppy' face. "I'm guessing she said yes?"

"Don't puppy me," he mumbles, his face slipping into a pointed glare for a moment before he can't help himself again and he grins. "But, yes. She said yes."

Beca's eyes narrow, because she's remembering the way this conversation started and she suddenly has a very bad feeling about where it's headed. "And the favor part you mentioned? Please tell me you just want to borrow my jeep."

His face suddenly does this thing where he's cringing and smiling at the same time and Beca would find it amusing any other day because he kind of looks like he needs to pee, but now it makes her stomach twist.

"Not exactly." He hesitates because her face suddenly clouds over. He decides to just come out with it. "Chloe's dad doesn't really like them going out on dates alone until he gets to know who they're dating. So he suggested a double. With Chloe."

Her expression remains rather dark and expectant so he continues.

"I suggested Benji or Donald, but she wanted you," he tells her with a hopeful smile.

She's actually offended. "I'd want me too if you offered me those two idiots." Her head tilts as she replays his earlier statement. "Why is Chloe's dad dictating Aubrey's dating plans?"

"She lives with them," he says, like that explains everything.

Something still seems weird about it. "And he's telling two eighteen year olds that they have to double date until he gets to know the dates? She knows I'm only a Junior, right?"

"Yeah." His face suddenly turns pleading. "Please, Bec?"

"You know how I feel about dating," she tells him, the twisting in her stomach suddenly turning into a rolling, pitching sensation that has her feeling rather nauseated. "God, Jesse, really? I haven't been on a date in over a year and you're trying to make my first date back with _her_?"

"What's wrong with her?" he asks. "She's hot."

"Exactly," Beca agrees with a sigh. "You know I have 'hot girl syndrome'. Get me around a one and I turn into a total bumbling idiot."

He smirked. "Yeah, we all have that. Come on, Bec, I'll do anything. Please?"

She rolls her eyes and nods. "Fine. But you owe me. Anything. You remember that."

His face suddenly floods with relief and he pulls her into his arms. "Thanks." He releases her as they head outside to the parking lot.

**XX**

Beca could feel the headache forming behind her eyes as she listened to another girl butcher Kelly Clarkson and she wondered for the twenty-seventh time that afternoon why she chose the damn song. No one could sing it like Kelly could.

"Next!" she shouts, cutting a nervous freshman off in the middle of the second chorus.

Her eyes close as her hands rise to massage her temples. She centers herself, finding her Zen or whatever, but it's totally shattered when someone grabs her and shakes her.

"Bec," Jesse exclaims quietly, scaring the crap out of her.

"Jesus! What?"

Beca's eyes snap open and she sees Jesse's crush, Aubrey, standing on the stage looking nervous under the bright smile she wears.

"Hi," she says as she waves nervously in their direction and Beca swears she hears Jesse suck in a breath so deep she wonders if he left her any air in the direct vicinity. "Aubrey Posen."

"Be nice," Jesse orders under his breath, squeezing her arm before releasing it.

Beca smiles despite her headache. "Hi, Aubrey. You have the song prepared?" When Aubrey nods, she continues. "Whenever you're ready."

Beca has found over the years in the Bellas that you can never really look at a person and know what their voice is going to sound like. Cynthia Rose was a prime example. Lilly was another. So she wasn't sure what to expect when Aubrey opened her mouth and began to sing.

One thing is for sure, she isn't disappointed.

She's a bit shocked, because she's never heard Aubrey speak one single syllable, so to hear her sing is totally surprising. Aubrey hasn't gotten ten bars into the song before Beca shares a look with Jesse and they nod subtly, both knowing the Bellas have found their new member, and Beca is relieved that they managed to replace a soprano with another soprano.

Beca is polite when Aubrey finishes, knowing others who went before her, and others that still have to audition are hanging around in the auditorium waiting to be called or to hear the competition, so she smiles and tells her that they'll let her know.

"She's gonna be one of those acapella girls, and I'm one of those acapella boys and we're gonna have aca-children," Jesse whispers more to himself than her, his eyes trained on the blonde on stage.

"Please don't ever say that out loud to anyone that isn't me," Beca deadpans.

"It's inevitable," Jesse tells her with a grin before he hops out of his seat and makes his way to Aubrey's side and Beca finds herself a little disappointed that she'll have to hold council with herself for the remainder of the afternoon.

It's then that she hears a rattling next to her ear and she glances up to find a bottle of aspirin being held out by Fat Amy, who sits down in the seat next to Beca once the brunette takes the bottle from her.

"Found our replacement, then?" she asks as another nervous looking girl takes the stage.

"Thank God," Beca agrees quietly as the girl begins to sing on stage. "I can't take much more of this."

"You shoulda gone with Titanium," Amy muses quietly. "That song really builds."

"Too late now," Beca replies, wincing as the girl on stage hits a particularly painful note, and she holds up her hand. "Thanks!"

The girl on stage looks crestfallen and Beca notes with a sigh that she only has a handful of girls left to audition and she finds herself eternally grateful that Amy stepped in as soon as Jesse stepped out.

**XX**

A.N. Well? What do you think? Is it worth another chapter? Let me know. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

To say that Beca is nervous about the date is a ridiculously huge understatement. She hasn't really technically dated too many people. Really there's just the one. It's not like there haven't been plenty of offers. She just isn't very fond of the _getting to know you_ part of getting to know someone. Or more accurately, she isn't that fond of people getting to know her. She knows she can count on Jesse above everyone else; they've been best friends since they were five. And other than him, she has the Bellas.

She's closer to some Bellas than others. She formed an odd sort of bond with Fat Amy over the course of their three years together in the Bellas. Amy can make a joke out of just about anything, and while it's hard to take her seriously about just about anything she said regarding Tasmania, when the chips are down, she's always still standing there. And that means a lot to Beca.

In fact, it means everything to her.

Needless to say, the prospect of getting to know someone else, even if just for one night as a favor to Jesse, is still rather daunting. She's completely socially awkward. She never knows what to say or what to do and most people find her dry sense of humor kind of confusing and off-putting. She doesn't know how to make small talk and she finds that even though Chloe Beale is probably the most gorgeous girl she's ever seen, she is seriously dreading this date.

"Chill, Bec," Jesse mumbles to her quietly as they walk towards the Boardwalk.

"Shut up," she shushes back, not at all wanting to talk about it. She twirls a single daisy between her fingers. She picked it on a whim, thinking if nothing else it would keep her hands busy as they walk.

He ignores her and pulls her to a stop, meeting her gaze steadily. "Look, I know the last time you did this it was a total mess, but this isn't Jamie. Chloe likes you and wants to get to know you. Just give it a chance."

"How can she even know me enough to like me?" Beca asks, willing to punch holes in just about anything he has to say just to get out of this. "We've never even spoken."

"I don't know," he replies honestly, tugging at the collar of his shirt. "But she wanted you here tonight. Isn't that enough?"

He's so nervous and he means so much to her, so she rolls her eyes and waves a hand around in front of her, signaling he should keep moving. "Fine. Let's go."

He nods, knowing he's not going to get much more out of her and they continue on their way. "And please stop acting like I'm sentencing you to death. It's a date. It's supposed to be fun!"

"First dates aren't fun by their very definition," Beca points out, only half-serious. "Especially first dates where you've never spoken to the other person. It's like a blind date without it being blind."

"You'll live," he tells her distractedly.

Beca glances up and sees why he's suddenly distracted. Waiting at the end of the pier are Chloe and Aubrey and she has to admit that the two of them are certainly a sight. They appear almost otherworldly-Chloe with her beaming smile and bright eyes, and Aubrey with her sophisticated charm and blonde hair shining in the late afternoon sun.

Suddenly she's insanely nervous. (Not that she'd ever tell_ anyone _that).

Beca watches them for a moment. Her eyes follow Aubrey's face as it shifts from looking guarded and a little bored to a shy smile when she catches sight of Jesse. Beca's eyes don't linger long. They shift under the weight of a stare to find those hauntingly blue eyes watching her, and just like the day in the quad, they hold her gaze unflinchingly until Beca is standing before her.

"Hi."

Beca isn't sure what she expects to hear when Chloe opens her mouth. But the sugary-sweet voice that escapes the redhead surprises her, even though she figures that it shouldn't. Chloe seems like the sugary-sweet kind of girl. Perfectly curled hair, short, but manicured nails, flawless makeup and a dress to somehow make her eyes stand out even more.

"Hey."

Suddenly Beca feels self-conscious. Her jeans feel too ratty and her chipped nail polish seems kind of junky as she tugs at the hem of her plaid shirt, feeling a bit underdressed. The feeling of being self-conscious is kind of foreign to her. Sure, she's in high school so it should overwhelm her entire being, but ever since Jamie had stomped all over her heart and she'd stopped letting people in, she'd decided not to give a damn what anyone else thought of her.

"I'm Chloe," the redhead tells her with a smile.

"Beca." She holds out the daisy awkwardly, dropping it the moment Chloe's fingers graze hers, causing the flower to tumble to the ground. "Damn." They both bend over for the flower at the same time, bumping heads on the way down, causing Beca to swear, which makes Chloe giggle. "I'm so sorry!"

Chloe covers her wince with a smile and rubs her forehead. "It was my fault."

"Damn, Bec, I thought you had more game than that," Jesse teases with a smile.

"Thanks," she grumbles. "That's helping."

Beca snatches the damn flower and straightens up, holding it out and keeping it between her fingers until Chloe has a grip on it.

This, for some reason, makes Chloe smile even wider and she reaches out to grasp one of Beca's hands in hers for a moment, giving it a squeeze.

"Thank you for the flower. And for doing this," she says quietly, nodding over to the other two, who appear deep in conversation about something. "I know you're only here as a favor to Jesse, but I'm glad you came."

Beca's face shifts into hot glare directed at her best friend, but he remains blissfully unaware of the death ray that's focused on his head. "I can't believe he told her that."

"I'm not offended," Chloe assures her softly with a shrug, releasing the hand in hers. "If Aubrey had asked me to go on a date with a stranger, it probably would have been a favor on my end too."

"Is that what this is?" Beca's face flushes with embarrassment. Maybe Chloe really has no interest in her and this is just two people asking two other people for favors so they could go on a date.

"No," Chloe tells her quickly with a shake of her head. Her hand snakes out and lands on a flushed cheek for a second. "Not at all." She leans in kind of close so she can whisper conspiratorially. "I totally wanted to go out with you, but I just didn't know how to ask." She drops her gaze to her shoes for a moment and suddenly gets very shy. "You're sort of intimidating."

Beca has to laugh at that and for some reason it makes her feel a little better to know she's not the only one who's nervous. "Me? All 5 feet of me? Yeah right."

Chloe's gaze turn sexy on a dime and her eyes suddenly sweep over Beca's frame in a flirty way and Beca thinks it might be the hottest thing she's ever seen. "You may be tiny, but your 'stay away!' sign was kind of huge."

Beca sighs involuntarily at that. She's tired of people ragging on her about her 'stay away from me' bitch face.

"Plus you're kind of a bad ass," Chloe continues, ignoring the sigh with a smile. "You run the radio station and you're an amazing DJ. You're captain of the Bellas. Who wouldn't be intimidated?"

"Oh!" Beca exclaims suddenly, remembering something very important as soon as Chloe mentions the Bellas. "I totally almost forgot."

The other three watch her closely as she reaches into her bag and pulls out a yellow Bellas scarf. She smiles at Aubrey. "Please extend your right hand."

Aubrey realizes what's happening and she shares an excited smile with Chloe and Jesse in turn, extending her hand, beaming at Beca.

Beca places the scarf in Aubrey's hand and places her right hand over the other girl's. "Normally there's a big initiation. Kidnapping and wine and candles and it's a little over the top. Forgive me if this is a little low-key."

"It's perfect," Aubrey assures her with a warm smile.

Beca nods. "Aubrey Posen, you are hereby required to uphold the duties and responsibilities of a Bella woman and should you betray the sisters in any way, may your vocal chords be ripped out by wolves."

"Seriously?" Jesse snorts.

Beca shoots him a glare. "You should have heard it when Alice was in charge. That was the price paid for hooking up with a Treble. This is tame."

"I won't disappoint you, Beca," Aubrey promises, breathy with excitement. "I promise."

Beca grins, nodding once. "Welcome to the Bellas."

Aubrey squeals and hugs Chloe and then Jesse and then even Beca. "Thank you so much." She tucks herself into Jesse's side. "Your best friend is kind of awesome."

"She's not as cool as she seems," Jesse interjects with a grin, gripping Aubrey's hand. "Plus I taught her everything she knows."

"Yeah, about being a movie nerd," Beca shoots back with a grin. Her breath hitches a moment later when a warm hand slides into hers. She glances back to find bright eyes watching her closely. She has never, ever held hands with anyone. Well, except her parents when she was little. But, with Chloe, she finds that she kind of likes the way their hands fit together.

"Should we go?" Jesse asks.

They walk in twos. Jesse and Aubrey a few steps ahead of Beca and Chloe and it's all Beca can do to keep one foot in front of the other and not trip. She can't believe something as simple as Chloe holding her hand would turn her into such a…_girl_.

"You just made her day," Chloe tells Beca quietly as they walk. "And mine, by association."

"She deserves the spot," Beca tells her with a shrug. "She was the best we heard."

"Well, you definitely won't find anyone who works as hard as she does," Chloe tells her. She glances over to Beca and smiles. "You look really nice, by the way."

Beca lets out this weird little breathy laugh and the sound makes her want to crawl under a rock and die because she has never made a sound like that. Ever. "_You_ look nice. I'm underdressed."

Chloe grins at her, seemingly pleased with something Beca said or did. "I like this side of you."

"The bumbling idiot side?" Beca sighs with a roll of her eyes. The hand in hers squeezes lightly and she meets those blue eyes.

"The shy side," Chloe admits softly. Then there's this_ crazy_ charming half-smile on her lips and Beca decides she _really_ likes that smile. "The sweet side. I didn't expect it."

"What did you expect?" Beca asks, suddenly curious.

Chloe shrugs. "What did you expect with me?"

Beca ponders this a moment. "Well, you're beautiful, so there was definitely a chance you wouldn't be very nice. You're smart, so there was a chance you'd be a snob. I guess I got lucky 'cause you're not either of those things. Or if you are, you're hiding them until the second date."

Suddenly Chloe is grinning and practically bubbling over with happiness. "Second date?"

Beca cringes. She feels like she's making a complete fool out of herself. But, she reasons, if making a fool of herself makes Chloe beam at her like that? Maybe it isn't such a bad thing.

Chloe begins to laugh and Beca suddenly feels like she's in a cartoon and Chloe's laughter is flowing out of her mouth in a series of musical notes. It's melodic and sweet and Beca loves it. It's in that moment that she realizes she needs to take a step back and build up the little brick wall around her heart.

Because she realizes in that instant that she could fall for this girl.

"I'm only teasing you," Chloe whispers, still smiling so wide it crinkles around her eyes.

Beca opens her mouth to say something. Anything. But she's cut off.

"Becaw! Jesse!"

There's a pregnant pause and Beca can _taste_ the awkward lingering in the silence of the interruption.

"What did he just call you?"

Chloe is suddenly so close that Beca nearly stops breathing. She rolls her eyes, her head shaking. It's like her involuntary response to Donald. "You don't have any really horrible nicknames that you can't, for the life of you, get people to stop using?"

Something flickers in Chloe's eyes then. It's only there for an instant, but Beca sees it and she frowns.

"Sorry," Beca tells her. "I know you're new and you must have left friends and nicknames behind when you left your old school."

Donald and Stacie reach them and Beca watches as Jesse and Donald exchange some weird guy-hug thing and Stacie pulls her into a hug. "Hey, B." Beca hugs back awkwardly and Stacie's eyes fall on Chloe immediately. "Hi. I don't think we've met."

Beca points between them. "Chloe, Stacie. Stacie, Chloe."

"You're in the Bellas, right?" Chloe asks.

Stacie nods, smiling brightly. "Oh, totes. Do you sing?"

Chloe shakes her head. "Aubrey is the singer."

Beca remembers the earlier audition and waves at Aubrey, looking a little lost as the boys discuss something. "Aubrey, come here a sec." She points towards the blonde as she makes her way over. "Stacie, this is Aubrey. New Bella."

"New Bella," Stacie repeats with a bright smile, not hesitating to pull her into a tight hug. "Awesome. I'm Stacie. Welcome to the sisterhood."

Aubrey smiles brightly. "Thank you. I'm so excited to get started."

Beca feels a warm hand on her arm then and she looks up to meet Chloe's gaze. "I'll be right back." Beca nods and watches Chloe pull Aubrey off towards the restrooms nearby.

Stacie watches them for a second. "Is she good?"

"She's really good," Beca replies with a nod. "And a soprano."

"Nice," Stacie tells her, glad that they were able to swap even for sopranos. "So what are you guys up to?"

"Uh," Beca stutters. "Dinner and a movie. You guys?"

"How did Jesse rope you into a movie?" Stacie laughs, but something suddenly occurs to her and she stops and she stares at Beca hard. Like she's trying to see right through her. "Is this a date?"

"Maybe," Beca admits grudgingly.

Stacie's eyes get wide and she squeals, pulling Beca into a bouncy hug. "That's awesome."

"Will you chill?" Beca begs, her face reddening more by the minute, especially since she notices the boys watching them, obviously having heard the un-human sound that had just escaped Stacie.

"No," Stacie says. "I've known you four years and seen you date exactly once. I'm happy for you!"

"I've dated more than once," Beca grumbles. "There was that girl last year, right after Jamie."

"The one you blew off after one date?" Stacie reminds her.

"She said she hated music," Beca replies. "That never would have worked."

"Okay, Bec, twice, you win," Stacie relents teasingly.

Beca finds herself a little offended. "Ya know, it's not like I'm hideous. I blame this stupid one-Starbucks town for the lack of girls that play on my side of the fence."

Stacie snorts. "Okay, blame Starbucks for that." She rolls her eyes when Beca instantly glares at her. "Chill, B. I'm just saying that I'm glad you found a girl. We love you and want you to be happy."

Beca tries to remain cold about the whole thing, but her heart definitely warms when Stacie drops the L-bomb on her and she can trust enough to know that it's real. "Yeah, yeah."

Suddenly there's a warm hand sliding through her arm and Chloe's fingers come to rest just below the crook of her elbow. "Hi."

Stacie watches Beca's reaction. The way her face flushes a bit, the way her breath hitches the moment Chloe touches her, and she knows her captain might already have it bad for the new girl. "It was really nice to meet you, Chloe." She turns to the other two. "Aubrey, see you at rehearsal on Monday." This earns her an enthusiastic nod and a wave from the blonde. She pokes Donald, tilting her head. "We should go."

Jesse juts a thumb over his shoulder. "Yeah, we should too. Our reservation is in ten minutes."

The three couples say their goodbyes and head in opposite directions.

Chloe's arm is still tucked into Beca's, who's got her hands stuffed in the pockets of her jeans as they walk. "So Aubrey tells me that Jesse tells her that you hate movies."

Beca sighs. "If I kill him, it'll prevent him from revealing anything else that might make you rethink ever going out with me again, right?"

Chloe giggles. "I'm not really a huge fan of movies for a first date activity, to be honest."

An idea comes to Beca. "Wanna ditch the movie nerds after dinner and go get coffee with me instead?"

Chloe nods excitedly. "I like the way you think, Beca Mitchell."

"Here we are," Jesse announces as he pulls open the door to the restaurant for the three girls he's with.

**XX**

A.N. That's part one of the date, part two to come soon. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

A.N. For the purpose of the story I had to change a few details. The movie is set somewhere in the south so I just moved it a little so we're in Wilmington, NC.

**XX**

"So have you always lived here?" Chloe asks, taking a sip of her latte.

The girls are seated outdoors at one of Beca's favorite coffee shops. There aren't many people out and about so they have plenty of privacy.

Beca nods, her fingers playing with the little cardboard sleeve on her drink. She's thinking now that maybe she should have just gone to see the stupid movie. Coffee means lots of time to talk. "All my life. My dad is an English professor at UNCW."

"And your mom?" Chloe asks.

It's the question that Beca's been hoping to avoid all night. Her eyelids flutter and she bites her lip and changes the subject. "What about you? Where did you live before here?"

Chloe may not be a mind reader, but she has no trouble reading the other girl's body language and knows to go with the random subject change. "We were in Texas for a while, then New Mexico, then Louisiana, and now here."

"Wow, military family?" Beca wonders.

"Sort of," Chloe responds.

Beca realizes that they both have things they'd rather not discuss so she steers the conversation in another direction. "So you never told me earlier what you were expecting me to be like."

One corner of Chloe's lips twitches up into a sort of smirk thing that's way too hot and her eyes dart up to meet Beca's for a moment and the way Beca's heart stutters in her chest makes her grip her coffee cup a bit tighter so she won't spill it all over herself.

Chloe blinks a few times, like she's trying to gather her thoughts. But then she hesitates; like she's not sure she should say what she wants to say. "I can tell that the people you let get close to you love you. But they only seem to be a select few and you don't really seem to talk to anyone but them. Honestly I wasn't expecting much, especially since tonight was a favor."

Beca isn't sure what she was expecting to hear. She isn't sure what she was hoping to hear either, but it still doesn't prepare her for what someone, who was a stranger a few hours ago, thinks of her from a distance.

"That didn't really come out right," Chloe says softly, noticing what looks a little like hurt bubble up to the surface of Beca's expression, but never quite breaking through. "I'm-"

"No," Beca cuts her off, feeling sort of foolish for even asking. She knows what people at school think of her. "It's true."

"People watch you," Chloe tries again, reaching a hand out to place over Beca's. "A lot of people at school. They want to be near you."

"It sounds creepy when you say it like that," Beca jokes, a smile tugging at her lips.

"I just mean that it's pretty clear that you isolate yourself because you want to," Chloe tells her softly. "Not because no one wants to know you." She shrugs. "It's sort of telling."

"What does it tell you?" Beca asks. She's slightly unnerved, because as much of a stranger as she knows the other girl really is to her, Chloe is pretty succinct in summing her up.

"That you've been hurt."

Beca's gaze falls back to the cardboard sleeve around her drink, unable to meet those penetrating eyes, knowing they'll see right through her in this moment. Of course, it's not like she's stupid enough to think she's hiding anything at all anyways.

Chloe reaches out with her free hand and grasps Beca's hand in both hers, turning her arm over gently. Her fingertips trace the grasshopper tattoo on her forearm lightly. "Are you even old enough to have this?"

Beca smirks. "No. I got it last summer in Europe."

"Europe?" Chloe asks, clearly impressed. "How long were you there?"

"A few weeks," Beca tells her with a shrug.

Chloe senses her proximity to another potential conversational landmine and sidesteps quickly, holding out her wrist to reveal a tiny ladybug tattoo. "We kinda match."

Beca smiles genuinely then and this time it's Chloe's breath that hitches. Beca's hands reach out to grasp Chloe's forearm carefully, a thumb swiping over the inked skin softly. "It suits you. It's cute."

"You're saying I'm cute?"

Beca rolls her eyes, trying to contain her smile. "You're fishing."

Chloe's eyes snap to hers and she shrugs. "So bite," she says, playful and flirty.

Beca sighs playfully. And then she bites. "You know you're beautiful."

Then Chloe is beaming at her, reaching out to grasp Beca's hands across the table. "I'm glad you suggested this. It's so much better than a movie."

Beca admits that she agrees. Suddenly Chloe is grinning and it makes Beca feel slightly off-kilter. "What?"

Chloe leans forward, her elbows on the table, her hair framing her face as she leans in closer to Beca. "Tell me more about this initiation. Kidnapping, wine and candles? It sounds a little…"

"Gay?" Beca realizes how she made it sound earlier and she rolls her eyes, grinning.

"A little," Chloe admits and they both laugh.

"Maybe you should audition and find out," Beca tells her. She's shocked when her voice comes out sounding way more flirty than she intends. Not that she minds.

"Can't," Chloe reminds her softly, biting her lip at the other girl's tone. "You're totally booked."

Beca realizes she's right and she can't keep the flash of disappointment from her features. "I could kick Lilly out," Beca offers playfully. "She honestly scares me a little."

Chloe laughs and reaches out to place her hand over Beca's, allowing her thumb to swipe over the younger girl's knuckles. "I'll just have to settle for being the Bellas' biggest fan."

**XX**

A few hours later the four teens are standing on the boardwalk where they'd first met, paired off in twos again to say goodbye for the night.

Beca allows her eyes to map the beautiful face before her for a few moments. The night is warm and the sun is just beginning to edge over the horizon, leaving Chloe practically glowing in the pinks and oranges of the setting sun, and in that moment Beca wishes that she's the type of girl that could tell Chloe how beautiful she looks.

Turns out she's too much of a coward.

"I had a really good time," Chloe tells her softly, her eyes shining so bright.

Beca nods a little bashfully. "I did too. Think you might be up for a second date?"

Chloe absolutely beams at her then. "Definitely. As long as it's just the two of us next time."

Beca smirks. "I think that can be arranged."

"Awesome," Chloe says, reaching out to grasp Beca's hands. She leans forward, pressing her lips to Beca's cheek softly. "Can I call you tomorrow?"

Beca nods rather dumbly, affected by Chloe's lips more than she wants to admit. "Yeah, totally."

"Night, Beca," Chloe says softly.

"Night," Beca replies. She gives both girls a wave as she and Jesse turn and head back to their neighborhood.

They're quiet on the walk home, both content to relive the last few hours. Beca steals a few glances at Jesse and if the smile he's wearing is any indication, his date went as well as hers did.

"Do you believe in soul mates?" Jesse asks suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence around them.

"Hmm?" Beca hums, coming out of her thoughts.

"Soul mates," he repeats. "Do you believe in them?"

Beca is quiet for a moment because talking about things like soul mates is never really easy for her. "I dunno, Jess. Why?"

Jesse shrugs. "I think there are lots of different types of soul mates. I think you and me are soul mates in a way. I know we'll be friends forever. What do you think?"

Beca feels the sting of tears behind her eyes at his words. Soul mates? Her chin quivers and she sniffles back her tears. "You really think that?" The words come out of her mouth and it's like all her vulnerability comes pouring out with them. She knows she has some pretty insane abandonment issues and she hates how something as silly as soul mates brings them up.

Jesse pulls her to a stop, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking her dead in the eye. "Bec." They're in the middle of Jesse's driveway, but he doesn't seem to care. "I'll be your best friend until one of us dies. That's just how it is. We may fight or get mad at each other, but I've always thought of you as more of a sister than a friend. I love you, okay?"

Beca's tears are back and this time she can't keep them in. They spill over her cheeks in fat droplets that leak into Jesse's shirt when he pulls her into his arms in a tight hug.

"Thanks, Jess."

"No problem," he says as he releases her, grasping her hand gently and tugging her towards the front door. "We're getting ice cream and you can tell me how your date went."

"You were there, you weirdo," she tells him, laughing through her tears.

"I may have physically been there, but I was nowhere near where you were," he says.

"Wow," Beca teases. "She's got you wrapped around her little finger already, doesn't she?"

"You have no idea."

**XX**

"So," Unicycle starts rather loudly, causing the rest of the table to look up at him, setting his gaze on Beca. It's a rare lunch where many of the Bellas and the Treblemakers are seated together at lunch so the table is stuffed with people. "You and Chloe."

Beca keeps her face even as she stares back at him, annoyed that he brought her personal business up at lunch with so many people around. "What about me and Chloe?"

"You guys went out," he reminds her.

"Your point?" She finds in more difficult to look disinterested in what he's saying when she thinks back her date with Chloe. She can feel the familiar flutter in her stomach when she thinks about the redhead. She turns to Cynthia Rose. "Did you make copies of the new songs for rehearsal this afternoon?"

"You like her," he says, cutting them off, his face breaking out into a wide smile.

"Interesting theory," she mumbles as she turns back to her book.

Stacie smiles, watching Beca for a moment, knowing what she already saw on the boardwalk that night. "He's totally right. You do like her."

"Will you guys shut up?" Beca begs, shooting a pleading look at her girls, begging them not to take it any further. They seem to understand what she wants and back down immediately, but the boys have other plans. "I need to study. I have a test."

"If you didn't like her, you would have spent the last 30 seconds telling us how irritating she is, or how self-absorbed she is," Donald points out. "Instead you spent them trying to change the subject."

"He's right, Bec," Jesse says with a teasing grin. He grips half of her book so he can see the subject she's pretending to study. "And we all know you're acing History, so don't even pretend that you're trying to study."

"Hi."

Beca feels her stomach flip at the sound of that sugary-sweet voice and she glances up to find Chloe standing next to her.

"Hey," she greets quietly, unable to help the grin that settles over her features. She scoots over, not caring that she's shoving Donald off the bench beside her and ignoring his whining. "Want to sit?"

Chloe glances around the table nervously. "This table isn't aca-people only, is it?"

Jesse instantly perks up and exchanges a glance with Benji. "She's knows aca-speak."

"That's not a real thing," Beca reminds him, her eyes still locked on Chloe, who's still standing next to her looking unsure. "And no, it's not just for the groups. Sit, please."

Chloe shoots a shy smile to everyone around the table before sitting next to Beca, pressing her lips to the brunette's cheek softly.

"You're a lefty?" Chloe asks quietly, so only Beca can hear her, when she notices Beca clutching a pen in her left hand. Beca nods, apparently losing all ability to speak with the redhead so close to her. Chloe leans over so her mouth is hovering next to Beca's ear, grinning when she hears the other girl's breathing hitch. "That's super hot." She giggles when Beca stutters over an answer and wraps an arm around her, leaning her head onto Beca's shoulder.

"So, Chloe, did B tell you that you're the reason she failed a quiz for the first time in her life?" Jesse says with a grin, ignoring the hot glare from his best friend.

"Shut up," Beca grumbles.

"Really?" Chloe asks, leaning back enough to face her with a little half-smile that Beca likes so much, so she has no choice but to nod her head. "How so?"

Beca sighs reluctantly, finally able to speak more than two words at a time again. "We were taking a calculus quiz your first day here, and I might have been a little distracted."

Amy snorts. "She said 'how does Mr. Elliot expect me to concentrate on anything when Abercrombie and Fitch walked into the room?'"

"Ha ha," Beca replies humorlessly, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "Jerks."

Amy suddenly throws her arm around Chloe's shoulders. "So, you're dating my best friend."

"My best friend," Jesse corrects absently, like he's done it a million times.

"Whatever," Amy dismisses, and Chloe wants to grin because it's clear that this is something the two of them do. She refrains as Amy turns back to her. "You seem really sweet in a ginger kind of way, so I don't want to seem like a bitch."

"Amy," Beca begins to warn, only to get waved off.

"Shush, I'm doing my thing," Amy says, not even bothering to spare Beca a glance. "B's my best buddy in the world, so if you break her heart I'll beat your ass."

"Amy!"

"She doesn't fight fair," Donald points out, wincing as he remembers a rather painful encounter with Amy.

"Not at all," Amy agreed. "I've wrestled dingoes and crocodiles simultaneously."

Chloe nods, trying to keep a straight face because she can tell this is important to Amy, but it doesn't help that she can feel Beca shaking with laughter beside her. "Noted."

**XX**

A.N. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more!


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N.** Sorry for the delay! Hope you enjoy!

**XX**

_Any plans today?_

Beca is staring at the display on her phone and the text she just sent to Chloe. She never really thought she'd be the one to initiate the second date but she hasn't been able to get that smile and those _eyes_ out of her head. She's nervous, even though it seems like Chloe likes her back.

_Waiting around to see if this cute girl asks me out. ; ) _

Beca sighs out a sort of relieved laugh and she's instantly glad that she's alone in that moment because the sound that just escaped her lips is something she'd never admit to making.

_Guess I shouldn't be tying up your phone then, huh?_

Beca smiles, because for some reason this is so _easy_ with Chloe. She's never been one to ask someone on a date, or flirt, or stress over if they'll respond back to her texts.

She both loves it and loathes it.

_I dunno, you're kinda cute. If things with her fall through, you can totally take me out_.

Beca laughs.

_Wow, you sure know how to make a girl feel special_.

_It's a gift! ; )_

Beca rolls her eyes at herself when she can't help but focus on the little winky face at the end of Chloe's text.

_Can I take you out later today?_

She likes the silly flirting, but is far more interested in the answer to this question.

_Of course!_

Beca sighs, relieved again and she nods, instantly finalizing her plans in her head before sending one more text to Chloe.

_I'll pick you up at 7._

_Can't wait!_

Beca smiles down at her phone before she sets off to get everything together for the date tonight.

**XX**

Later that night, Beca pulls her jeep up in front of Chloe's house. She has the top off the jeep, a blanket and a picnic in the back and she just hopes that Chloe likes her idea for their second date.

She fiddles with one of her rings as she waits for Chloe to open the door. To say she's surprised to find Jesse answering the door is an understatement.

"Hey, Bec," he greets casually, like this is an everyday occurrence.

"What are you doing here?" she blurts.

He smiles. "Date night," he explains as he pulls the door open for her to enter. "Since you're taking Chloe out, Aubrey invited me over."

_That makes sense_, Beca thinks. "Sorry. I just wasn't expecting you to answer the door."

Jesse juts a thumb over his shoulder. "Chloe needed help with something upstairs."

Beca would have answered, but she's completely and utterly distracted when she sees Chloe descending the steps behind him. She's dressed in a simple white sundress that compliments her sun-kissed skin and red hair perfectly. She has a light jacket folded over one arm as she makes her way to Beca's side and presses a kiss to her cheek.

"Hi."

Beca instantly grins. "Hi."

"Hi, Beca," Aubrey greets as she moves to Jesse's side.

Beca smiles. "Hey, Aubrey."

Chloe turns to them. "See you guys later."

Beca gives them both a wave as she and Chloe exit the house. She manages to gain a step on Chloe so she can pull the passenger door open for her, blushing at the way Chloe smiles at her in that moment.

But she frowns when she realizes Chloe really isn't dressed for a top-down jeep. "Want me to put the doors and the bikini top back on?"

Chloe shakes her head instantly. "No way. It's such a nice night."

Beca holds out her wrist where she has a few extra hair ties. "Hair tie?"

Chloe reaches out and gently pulls one from around Beca's wrist, pulling her hair up in a messy ponytail. "Thanks."

Beca winks and closes the door behind the redhead, moving around the vehicle to her own door. She cranks the jeep and a moment later they're on their way.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Chloe asks after a minute.

Beca smirks. "Nope." When they pull up to a red light, she reaches for her phone, plugged into the stereo, and turns on a mellow mix.

From the corner of her eye, Beca sees Chloe instantly smile, her head bobbing to the music when the light changes and they continue on their way.

"This is awesome," Chloe comments. The music has Chloe absolutely beaming, and to Beca it might be one of the hottest things she's ever seen. "What is it?"

Beca shrugs, trying to suppress her smile, not wanting to seem like she's cocky. "It's just a mix I made."

"You made this?" Chloe asks, her eyes wide, and totally impressed. "Really?"

"It's part of the DJ thing," Beca replies with a shrug, secretly totally thrilled that Chloe likes her mix.

"So you can blend songs together, like, any songs?" Chloe asks.

Beca nods. "I look for two songs with the same chord progressions and sometimes I use the vocals in the songs and sometimes I record vocals myself."

Chloe grins. "You're kind of crazy talented."

Beca has never been good at taking compliments. It goes back to that _being totally socially awkward_ thing, but this time she smiles. "Thanks."

They drive down the coast a ways, the warm air whipping around them, the music loud and the sun just beginning to dip towards the horizon. The terrain around them begins to get rocky and it's not long before cliffs begin to slope up around them.

Beca finally pulls off on a sandy side street off the main road and she pulls the jeep to a stop, flipping a switch to turn on the four-wheel drive.

"Where are we?" Chloe asks.

"You'll see."

Beca moves the jeep forwards again and they ride silently until they pull up to a gate with several signs posted. _Keep Out_ and _Private _signs suddenly make Chloe nervous.

"You aren't going to get us arrested are you?"

Beca laughs, shifting into park. She gets out of the jeep and pushes the gate open, hopping back in and driving through. She's out once again to pull the gate behind them and that's when Chloe notices they're on the beach. And not just the beach, but a private alcove that's flanked on either side by huge cliffs so it's totally secluded.

"This is beautiful," Chloe breathes, her eyes wide and excited when she faces Beca.

Beca grins, so glad her date likes where she's taken her. She pulls the jeep around about halfway down the beach so it's sitting parallel to the water and she cuts the engine. She takes advantage of the fact that Chloe is still sitting in awe of the view around them and she moves to the passenger door to open it for her.

"Thank you," Chloe tells her with a smile as she steps out.

Beca winks at her before reaching into the back and pulling out a large blanket and a picnic basket. She had been wracking her brain trying to come up with a good idea for a date, not wanting to go the traditional route in any way. Jesse had suggested a picnic and she put her own spin on it.

"How did you find this place?"

Beca busies herself setting up the blanket next to the jeep as she answers. "It's a private beach and the owner owed me a favor."

"That's all you're going to give me?"

"I made him this mix that he used to propose to his wife, then I DJ'd his wedding," Beca explains with a shrug. "He said I could use this place whenever."

"That was nice of him," Chloe replies with a smile. She settles down on the blanket once Beca had it laid out on the sand, kicking off her flip flops.

They chat while they eat, mostly about music. Beca finds it completely disarming the way Chloe absolutely lights up when she talks about music. It's clearly something she's insanely passionate about. In a weird way it makes Beca feel connected to her because she's not sure she's ever met someone that feels music the way she does.

"Some people listen to music and some people-,"

"Feel it," Beca finishes, her eyes locked on Chloe's.

Chloe's face slowly shifts into a grin that's way too flirty. "Do you feel it?"

Beca swallows the massive lump that's suddenly settled in her throat and she nods. "I do."

After they eat Chloe settles on her back on the blanket, her head resting in Beca's lap and she makes a game out of challenging Beca to name a song she'd mash-up with a song that she calls out.

Beca leans back against the tire of the jeep, her legs spread out before her with Chloe's head resting comfortably against her thighs. Chloe reaches up to lace their fingers together and Beca's free hand twirls a lock of red hair around her fingers.

It's the most comfortable she's ever felt with another person in her life that isn't Jesse. It's strange, but it warms her up from the inside, like her heart has shaken off the rust and it's lit up like a bright red lantern in her chest.

"This was an awesome date," Chloe says softly, just as the sky begins to turn pink and orange and it casts them both in a beautiful glow.

Beca smiles rather bashfully, totally missing the way Chloe looks at her like it's the cutest thing she's ever seen.

"We should go," Beca admits regretfully. "It's a pain to get out of here after dark."

Chloe nods silently and accepts the warm hand that offers to help her to her feet. They pack in a comfortable silence and Beca can't help the way her heart flutters in her chest when Chloe grins at her for holding open the car door for her once again.

This time Beca puts on a more up-tempo mix and Chloe practically squeals when her 'Thousand Miles/Titanium' mix comes on.

"I love Titanium," she admits with a grin. "God, the music is _so_ good here."

Her statement makes Beca pause, finding it both strange and funny. "Here as in Wilmington?"

Chloe is completely still and completely silent for exactly one beat and that's all it takes for Beca to glance her way, noticing the crease in her brow.

"Wilmington does have good music," Chloe finally answers, giving Beca's hand a squeeze. "Mostly due to you."

Beca tries not to smile, but fails, and she forgets the strangeness of the past minute when soft fingers begin to trace her palm.

It seems too soon that they pull up in front of Chloe's house. Beca walks Chloe to the door, suddenly nervous about what might happen next. Should she kiss Chloe? What if Chloe kisses her? Does Chloe kiss on a second date? It's all making her feel a little dizzy in the moment when suddenly Chloe stops on the front step.

She seems to sense Beca's inner turmoil and smiles, resting a warm hand on Beca's cheek. "I had a really awesome time tonight." And before Beca can contemplate another move, Chloe's lips are pressed to her cheek. She pulls back just enough so that they're still close. Like breathing the same air close. Then she smiles. "Sweetie, breathe."

Beca lets out a breath, laughing at her own silliness and her gaze lands rather shyly on her own shoes. "Sorry." Then there's a gentle hand cupping her chin and lifting her face so their eyes can meet.

"Don't apologize," Chloe says softly. "I'll call you later, okay?"

Beca nods. "Kay." She smiles a cute little half-smile. "Thanks for letting me take you out."

Lips are on her cheek again and Chloe winks. "Thanks for taking me out."

Beca waits until the door is closed behind the other girl before she exhales loudly. She rethinks how stupid she must have come across in the last few minutes and rolls her eyes at her own idiocy. She can't figure out what it is that Chloe finds so interesting about her, but it must be something if she keeps agreeing to go out with her.

"Hey, creeper." Jesse's teasing voice suddenly interrupts her thoughts and she turns to find him standing on the front step watching her with a smirk. "Whatcha doing?"

Beca rolls her eyes at him. "Ugh, I preferred what was behind door number one."

"I bet you did," he says. "But it was time for girl talk, so I left them to it."

Beca's expression sours just at the mere mention of girl talk, so she turns and heads towards the car with Jesse following along behind her.

"Good second date?" he asks as she cranks the car. He nods approvingly as one of her mixes comes on. "Ah, playing the DJ card. Very nice."

"It's not a card I was playing, idiot," she replies with a roll of her eyes and a smile.

"Sure it's not," he pretends to agree. "So what did you guys do?"

Beca smiles a little at the memory of the two of them on the beach. "I took her to Dr. Miller's beach."

Jesse looks impressed. "Very nice. Picnic like I suggested?"

"Yes, Dr. Love," Beca replies sarcastically. "Whatever would I do without you?"

Jesse pretends to think about this for a moment. "Take your dates to play mini golf?"

"That was one time!" Beca yells, playfully shoving him in his seat. "And she wanted to go there. It wasn't my idea."

"Whatever you say, Bec."

**XX**

Beca and Chloe are seated side by side on Beca's bed, both leaned back against the headboard as they work, the sounds of their music bleed out of their headphones into the quiet of the room. Beca is working on a new mix and Chloe is finishing up some homework. Beca is so wrapped up in what she's working on that she doesn't even notice that she starts humming along to the mix she's making.

A moment later she hears something and she isn't sure if she's imagining it, so she listens more intently, ready to tweak as necessary. She's unaware that she's stopped her humming as she concentrates on listening, and after a few moments of listening she decides that she must have just been hearing things.

She unknowingly begins to hum again and a minute later she hears the same anomaly in her mix and it makes her frown. She pauses again, rewinding to be sure it wasn't something in the mix itself, but again comes up empty.

She thinks maybe she just needs to get more sleep until she hears the sound a third time and she finally realizes the sound isn't coming from her mix.

It's coming from Chloe.

Beca keeps her humming going and she slyly slides one headphone off her ear so she can listen more closely. That's when she realizes that Chloe is humming with her. And not just with her, in _perfect harmony_ with her.

She's actually sort of blown away with how good their humming blends and she decides to take it up a notch and she begins to sing quietly to herself. Obviously Chloe knows the song, as she's humming it, and Beca grins when Chloe begins to sing the words over her melody as well.

Beca sits up, blatantly pulling the headphones from her ears, the words of the song still spilling out from her lips, but now all she can hear is their voices.

And it sounds awesome.

Chloe's voice is flawless. Her harmonies are smooth and effortless and by this point she realizes she's been caught, but clearly doesn't care. Her head turns and their eyes lock just as they ramp up into the chorus and it gives them both chills to hear what they can do together vocally.

They fade out at the same moment and just stare at each other, both breathing just a little heavier than normal and it's all Beca can do not to reach out and kiss Chloe senseless, because she has never felt more connected to another person in her life and she can't believe that singing with her is what did it.

"You _can_ sing," she states rather unnecessarily.

"Surprise?" Chloe replies with a hesitant smile. She stares at Beca's lips for a long beat before meeting her eyes again. "That was kinda hot."

Beca smirks. "That was kinda really hot."

Chloe reaches up and twirls a lock of dark hair around her finger, her face inching closer. "You're beautiful."

"Shut up," Beca mumbles with a smile as she closes the distance, pressing her lips to Chloe's. Suddenly it's like her brain totally whites out. Like she can't think, or see, or hear. All she can do is feel. And the feel of Chloe's lips on hers sends a white-hot flare from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

Their noses bump together as Chloe tilts her head the other direction – and it would be totally awkward, but it makes Chloe giggle – and she cradles Beca's face with her palm gently.

Once her lips have been released, it takes Beca a moment to open her eyes, noting that a rather amused expression is coloring Chloe's features.

Beca leans back in, frowning when Chloe pulls back, but only enough to whisper, "come here." Chloe tugs on her arm gently, guiding Beca until she's settled rather comfortably straddling Chloe's thighs and with their height difference, this puts their faces almost completely even.

Chloe grins. "Much better."

Beca can barely register anything over the hammering of her heart in her chest. Her hands instantly slide under red curls to cradle Chloe's face as she kisses her softly, her heart stuttering when she feels warm hands slide up her thighs over her jeans.

Before Beca can claim her lips again, Chloe leans forward and presses her lips to Beca's neck and trails several lazy kisses from under her jaw to a very sensitive spot under her ear.

Beca's eyes roll back, her arms winding loosely around Chloe's neck, and a sound manages to escape her lips that sounds too much like a whine when Chloe's lips leave her skin.

Chloe's hands slide around Beca's body to hold her close, her breathing hitching when she feels Beca arch into her, thinking it might be the hottest thing she's ever felt.

Beca tilts her head and meets her next kiss head-on. She parts Chloe's lips with a swipe of her tongue and they're suddenly locked in a slow burning kiss. Beca's hands fist in Chloe's shirt and she arches into the redhead again, suddenly unable to control her raging hormones.

They part breathlessly and Beca reaches up to tuck a red curl behind Chloe's ear carefully, smiling at the fact that Chloe's eyes are still closed and her lower lip is trapped between her teeth. Chloe's bottom lip is released slowly and she licks her lips before bright eyes open rather lazily.

"You're really good at that," she whispers.

"_You're_ really good at that," Beca amends. She feels suddenly bold at Chloe's admission and she leans forward to capture Chloe's lips again.

Chloe's hands slide around her body again, one palming the base of her spine and one finding its way to the back pocket of her jeans, pulling her closer rather impatiently.

"I think you should be my girlfriend," Beca mumbles as she presses her lips to Chloe's jaw softly. The words escape her lips in a moment where she's completely overwhelmed by Chloe's presence; the way she feels, the way she smells and the way she touches so she can't even find it within herself to freak out about suddenly committing herself to Chloe.

"Mmm," Chloe hums. She drops her chin to meet Beca's eyes and kisses her softly, a smirk appearing on her lips. "I like the idea that you're mine."

Something in Chloe's voice has Beca's stomach flip-flopping and she feels a little light-headed in the best possible way. "Yeah?"

Chloe meets her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah." Her hands slide up Beca's torso and then wrap tightly around her, pulling her into a hug.

Beca tucks her face into the crook of Chloe's neck and just relaxes into the arms holding her so close, finding that she really likes being wrapped up in the other girl.

The thought makes her smile a little, like maybe she's making progress, but she's interrupted when a phone begins to buzz on the table next to Chloe.

Chloe pulls back enough to check the caller ID and Beca frowns at the rush of cool air that occupies the space where Chloe's warm body vacated.

"It's my dad," Chloe says softly. She reaches for the phone with one hand, keeping the other wrapped around Beca, until she flops back onto the bed, her calves still wrapped loosely around Chloe's body.

Chloe can't keep her eyes off the prone figure before her as she speaks to her father and she allows one hand to trail up Beca's stomach lazily as she does. A moment later she drops the phone back to the bedside table and sits up on her knees, crawling over Beca's body slowly.

Beca feels her hormones ramp up again as Chloe hovers over her teasingly, pressing a few soft kisses to her neck and then her lips.

"I have to go."

Beca actually pouts at that, reaching out to fist her hands in Chloe's shirt. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do to make you stay?"

Chloe smirks and leans down to kiss her. "You have no idea how badly I want to stay here and do…things to you, but I really have to go."

Beca's stomach flip-flops at the idea of what 'things' might mean and she releases the hold on her girlfriend. That word makes her smile.

"What?" Chloe implores softly, loving the little smile on the other girl's face.

"You're my girlfriend," Beca whispers.

Chloe lets out a soft giggle and kisses her. "Mmm, I like the sound of that."

"Me too," Beca says, pulling Chloe down to kiss her once more. "Now go, or I really will find a way to make you stay."

"It wouldn't take much," Chloe admits quietly before standing up off the bed and gathering her things.

"Call me later?" Beca asks, rolling onto her side and propping her head up in her hand.

Chloe smiles, nodding and reaching down for one more kiss. "Of course."

**XX**

A.N. Thanks for reading!


End file.
